Every week we feature chess lessons, chess activities, and an opportunity to play. The team competes in the N.J. Grade School Championship in the fall and the N.J. Elementary and Junior High Championship in February, both held at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. We also attend tournaments in Princeton and Westfield and are looking to host our own soon. For all questions and to be added to our expanding email list, please email Joe Demetrick.

Princeton Day School Tournament

The HTS Chess Team played in their first tournament at Princeton Day School in January 2012. For many on the team it was their first ever chess tournament. Twelve students attended from HTS, and outside of Princeton Day School who hosted the tournament, HTS had the single largest school contingent.

HTS won the following Team awards:
2nd place – K-1st Grade Section – 2nd Place
2nd place – Novice I section – 2nd Place
3rd place – Novice II section – 2nd Place

Drama

The Drama Club showcases the talents of students on stage.Organized by volunteer parents, the Club hires a professional director and presents two plays each school year. In the fall, the actors are primarily made up of students from grades 5 and 6 and in the spring, the actors are generally from grades 7 and 8. After auditions, mandatory rehearsals begin about ten weeks prior to opening night. There may be opportunities for stage crew and set designers. There is a participation fee. Fund raising and other volunteer efforts are required of parents. Past shows have included The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!,Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Mouse that Roared, Beauty is a Beast, and Not Another Middle School Musical.

Forensics

Forensics is an extracurricular activity open to students in 6th through 8th grades. It is an opportunity for them to develop various forms of oral presentations including reading, declamation, drama, humor and duo interpretation. The students are guided by a faculty moderator. The team meets weekly after school to prepare for local forensics team competition.

Robotics

The Robotics Team participates in challenges organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The team participates at the FIRST Lego League (FLL) level, designed for 4th to 8th grade students. Each year FIRST issues a themed challenge to teams around the world. The challenge includes research and engineering components. Students first investigate an actual problem, develop an innovative solution and present their findings. The team then designs, builds, programs, and tests an autonomous robot. At the FLL level, the robot is built using the Lego Mindstorms set. In addition to the technical challenges, this program motivates the students to work as a team.

The club’s goals are

Share knowledge and insights with the rest of the team

Listen to and respect one another’s ideas

Look for information and learn about real-world problems

Improve presentation skills

Participate in FLL tournaments

Have fun as a team

The team meets regularly in school during the fall and attends one or two FLL competitions in November and December.

Service Club

The Service Club presents gives students an opportunity to be of service to the faculty and staff of HTS. The club is open to all 7th and 8th graders who wish to volunteer their lunch recess time one day each week. Members are assigned to a faculty or staff member and can find themselves cleaning chalk boards, helping decorate bulletin boards, or delivering materials or messages around the school. Their service is valued by the faculty and staff.

Scouting: Cub Scouts

HTS Cub Scout Pack 73 welcomes all boys in grades 1-5 from any school in the community. Pack 73 is part of the Patriots Path Council in the Watchung District of New Jersey. The pack participates in campouts and volunteers for community service projects. Other activities include snake demonstrations, hiking, and field trips. See more at Cub Scout page.

Scouting: Girl Scouts

HTS has Girl Scout troops in every grade (K-8). Girls have fun while achieving the Girl Scout Mission: “To build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Most troops meet once a month after school and participate in other local events and outings. See more on the Girl Scout page.

Student Council

The Student Council is a representative student body whose members are elected by their peers. The Council members work with teachers and their classmates to promote the ideals of the school community. The Council also provides a lesson in democracy.

Study Buddies

Study Buddies offers the opportunity for student-on-student mentoring. Students in grades 6-8 are paired with a buddy in the lower grades. The buddies meet weekly before school, one-on-one, to review and reinforce the lessons learned in class.

The weekly commitment of the upperclassmen can count as service hours.

Email parent Erika Demetrick to find out how to get your child involved or to help volunteer.